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"When they allow a talk show host to play them like a two-dollar banjo, they demonstrate what kind of backbone they'll bring to the job later on, if we elect them. After they get elected will they continue to allow Jeff Crank to put a nickel in them and wind them up every Saturday morning?"

Barry Noreen, former columnist, Colorado Springs Gazette

"There's a lot of talent there" - Shannon Fowler

Monday, June 22, 2009

“Is It Time to Panic?”by John Alexander Madison
June 22, 2009

Probably. No, make that a resounding YES! End of article.

It is frightening enough to sit back and watch a serious economic downturn go to unimagined depths during the first 5 months of a new administration in Washington, D.C. and quite another to sit back and accept further deterioration of our democracy. That is totally unacceptable, or should be, to every American citizen. Perhaps I should explain why I believe our democracy is in danger.

Over the past four years a handful of Colorado Republicans legislators have been waging an unsuccessful campaign to bring some common sense to the election processes to no avail. Beginning with Governor Owens’ special summer legislative session on immigration a few years ago and every legislative session since bills to require Proof of Citizenship and photo IDs when voting have been defeated by the Democrat Party majority. None of the bills survived a committee vote let alone moved on for a full vote in the House or Senate. Each bill was dead on arrival in committee with every Democrat voting against the proposed bills and every Republican voting in support of these bills. As previously written (May 25, 2009 “The Really Big Chill”), we have so much to fear about the liberalization of election processes that I’d like to explore this further.

Democracy is defined in Wikipedia as “a form of government in which the right to govern is held by the majority of citizens within a country or a state. It is derived from the Greek δημοκρατία, "popular government", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos), "people" and κράτος (krátos), ‘rule, strength’ in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. “In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government and also a political philosophy. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes. The first principle is that all members of the society (citizens) have equal access to power and the second that all members (citizens) enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties.
“The 'majority rule' is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the ‘tyranny of the majority.’ An essential process in representative democracies are competitive elections, that are fair both substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests.”Did you read that? How much more clear could that be: “but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the tyranny of the majority.”

Many scholars and political leaders have discussed the deterioration of our democracy and much of the dialogue has centered on the deterioration of our election processes. One such person, Hans A. von Spakovsky, served as a member of the Federal Election Commission for two years. Before that he was Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice where he specialized on voting and election issues. He also served as a local election official for five years in Fulton County, Georgia. In October 2008, Mr. von Spakovsky prepared a special report for The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. entitled “Democracy in Danger...Case Studies of Election Fraud.”

If you are serious about ensuring the integrity of the election processes and preserving our democracy I suggest you do some serious research into the scope of the election fraud in the United States. Many believe it is widespread and the evidence upholds that conclusion.

Some remarks in this well-researched and well-written report from various sources include:

- “The core of the democratic process is the right of the people to choose their representatives in fair elections. Fraud in the election process is intolerable.”

- “Every vote that is fraudulently manufactured disenfranchises the legitimate voter and makes a mockery of our political process. Vote fraud is like a cancer, and it must be treated so that it will not destroy our constitutional right to vote, the basis of our American heritage.”

- “America has always been a nation of immigrants…newly minted citizens assimilate and become a part of the American culture very quickly…requiring that our laws, all our laws, be complied with requires no more of an alien than it does of a citizen…it is both a violation of state and federal law for immigrants who are not citizens to vote in state and federal elections. Election officials have an obligation not only to enforce those laws but also to implement registration and election procedures that do not allow those laws to be bypassed or ignored.”

This report is worth reading. It should serve as a wake up call to everyone.

‘Defending the freedoms and rights of members of a democratic society’ means, by definition, defending the rights of citizens. The protections afforded by our Constitution and our laws are for citizens, those who fully appreciate and respect our laws…not those who defiantly ignore them.

It’s not only time to panic…it is time for action. It is time to elect to every local, state and national office only those who strongly believe in and promise to staunchly defend our precious and tenuous democracy…just as every man and women who has served in the United States Armed Forces throughout our history has defended our democracy and freedoms by putting their lives on the line. We should expect nothing less from our elected officials. It is almost too late, almost.

To paraphrase television news anchor Howard Beale in the satirical movie classic “Network’ in 1976: “I’m mad as hell and we should not take this any longer!” How about you?

EpilogueOne reference made (above) was “America has always been a nation of immigrants…newly minted citizens assimilate and become a part of the American culture very quickly…requiring that our laws, all our laws, be complied with...”“Assimilation” has been an historical goal of all immigrants to the United States. The combination of learning the English language, putting your American citizenship above all other loyalties, yet appreciating and respecting the heritage, cultures, and former loyalties of one another’s countries of origin is what has made America great.

It seems that assimilation is no longer a shared goal of all immigrants. Therein may be the singular reason why many believe our democracy is in danger. This will be the subject of a future discussion.